Ex-Officer Pleads Guilty In The Walter Scott Case

Former police officer in North Charleston, S.C., accused in the shooting death of an unarmed black man in 2015 has pleaded guilty to a federal civil rights charge, according to his lawyer.

Michael Slager, who shot Walter Scott in the back following a traffic stop, pleaded guilty Tuesday to violating Scott’s civil rights by using excessive force during an attempted arrest. A bystander captured cellphone video of the killing, spurring widespread outrage.

“We hope that Michael’s acceptance of responsibility will help the Scott family as they continue to grieve their loss,” said Andrew Savage, Slager’s defense attorney.

As part of the plea deal, the state of South Carolina will drop a murder charge against Slager, according to Alexandra Olgin of South Carolina Public Radio.

State prosecutors had been set to retry Slager, 35, in August after his murder trial ended in a hung jury in December. “It’s not over,” Scott’s mother, Judy, said outside the courthouse at the time. “Y’all hear me? It’s not over till God says it’s over.”